Centrepiece of festive dinner plates goes under the gavel in York
Freshly processed poultry lined the tables as around 400 potential buyers, including members of the public, gathered round to bid on the birds.
Among the line-up were about 500 turkeys and 150 geese, as well as chickens and ducks, with vendors travelling from across Yorkshire to sell their locally produced and processed stock.
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Hide AdTurkeys sold for an average price of £7 per kilogram and up to a top price of £9.55 per kg. The birds weighed from 4kg to the biggest at 14kg.
Auctioneer Richard Tasker said: “The prices are comfortably up on last year. I think that’s because we have got a good following, especially through the private sector who enjoy the experience of buying, experiencing the occasion and the Christmas lunch better than they enjoy pushing round a supermarket trolley.”
Mr Tasker hailed the longevity of traditional auctions, even though many smaller poultry producers are finding it harder to compete in the wider market.